1986 British Grand Prix
13 July |number = 429 |officialname = XXXIX Shell Oils British Grand Prix |circuit = Brands Hatch |location = Fawkham, Kent, UK |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 3.703 |laps = 75 |distance = 277.725 |pole = Nelson Piquet |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:06.961 |fastestlap = 1:09.593 |fastestlapdriver = Nigel Mansell |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 69 |winner = Nigel Mansell |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Nelson Piquet |secondnation = BRA-1968 |secondteam = |third = Alain Prost |thirdnation = FRA |thirdteam = |scheduledlaps = 76 }} The XXXIX Shell Oils British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 1986 British Grand Prix, was the ninth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at Brands Hatch in Kent, UK, on the 13 July 1986.'British GP, 1986', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr429.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019) The race, which was the last British Grand Prix to be staged anywhere other than Silverstone, would see Nigel Mansell claim victory and the Championship lead. Qualifying proved to be a benefit, with Nelson Piquet sweeping to pole ahead of teammate Mansell. Best of the rest would be pilot Ayrton Senna, while Championship leader Alain Prost would start from sixth. Unfortunately the start of the race would prove to be chaotic, with Mansell sprinting into the lead, only for his Williams to stop in the middle of Paddock Hill Bend. The resulting melee caused by the limping Williams would see Thierry Boutsen spin, prompting Stefan Johansson to jink his right into the side of Jacques Laffite. The Frenchman was powerless to prevent his from bouncing into the barriers, an accident that broke both of his legs. Jonathan Palmer, a qualified doctor of medicine, stopped his collision damaged to help extract the Frenchman, who needed to be cut from the remains of the Ligier, with the race duly stopped for an hour for clean-up. With Laffite en-route to hospital via helicopter the race was restarted, with the field reset to grid order and several drivers, including Mansell, in their spare cars. Unsurprisingly the second start was for more tame, with Piquet easing into the lead from pole, while Gerhard Berger leapt ahead of a cautious Mansell. It was not long, however, before the #5 Williams moved back into second, with the Brit quickly sprinting away to chase Piquet. Behind, Senna was unable to make progress forward as he was being harassed by both s, while Michele Alboreto was up to sixth for Ferrari. Prost's bid for victory was effectively ended by an early stop for fresh tyres, while failures for Berger and Senna saw them drop out completely. Mansell, meanwhile, would have to wait for Piquet to make a mistake before claiming the lead, sneaking through at one third distance when the Brazilian missed a gear. With that the race was effectively over, with Mansell establishing an eight seconds lead over Piquet before the end of the race. Third eventually went to Prost, who overhauled René Arnoux in the closing stages, while claimed a double points finish courtesy of Martin Brundle and Philippe Alliot. That victory would put Mansell into the lead of the Championship, four ahead of former leader Prost. Senna had retained third but was now eleven off the lead, while, in the Constructors' Championship, Williams-Honda had built a sixteen point lead over McLaren-TAG Porsche. Background Second place in France had been enough to hand the Championship lead back to Alain Prost at the halfway point in the season, although the race victory for Nigel Mansell had ensured that the Brit was just a point behind. Indeed, even former leader Ayrton Senna had not lost too much ground in France despite slipping to third, remaining just three off the lead, before a huge thirteen point gap to Nelson Piquet. Further back, Keke Rosberg had lost more ground in fifth ahead of Jacques Laffite, while René Arnoux had crept up the table to seventh. In the Constructors Championship it was who had ended the first half of the season on top, having concluded the French Grand Prix with a five point lead. were their closest challengers, sat on 56 points, while were beginning to fall out of the fight in third, arriving in the UK twenty behind McLaren. Indeed, the effort from Ethel were being punished for only having one consistent point scoring driver, with Johnny Dumfries yet to threaten the points at all in 1986. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Nannini would take both the start and the restart from the pit lane. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Boutsen was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Last British Grand Prix to be held at a venue other than Silverstone. * 176th and final Grand Prix for Jacques Laffite.'9. Britain 1986', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019) ** Laffite hence equalled Graham Hill's record for most starts. ** Laffite also set a new record for race entries - 180.'1986 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1986&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 29/03/2019) * Alain Prost entered his 100th Grand Prix. * appeared at their 50th Grand Prix as a registered constructor. * Thierry Boutsen made his 50th start. * Twentieth pole position for Nelson Piquet. ** Also the twentieth pole for a car using #6 as its race number. * Sixth career victory for Nigel Mansell. * 27th win for a chassis. ** claimed their twelfth victory as an engine supplier. * Piquet secured the 25th podium finish for a Honda engine. * registered their 130th podium as a constructor. Standings Victory on home soil propelled Nigel Mansell to the top of the Championship fight, with the Brit leaving Brands Hatch with a four point lead. Alain Prost, former leader, had slipped to second, ending the weekend on 43, while the third man in the truel, Ayrton Senna had slipped eleven points behind after failing to score again. Indeed, the Brazilian's miserable recent form had allowed Nelson Piquet to draw him in, although the #6 Williams pilot was still seven off the back of his compatriot. In the Constructors Championship it had been a very productive day for , with the Anglo-Japanese squad ending the afternoon on 76 points. They hence moved sixteen clear of closest challengers , before a huge 24 point gap back to in third. Indeed, with seven races to go it seemed as if Lotus were out of the fight, and were instead being caught, albeit slowly, by in fourth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. 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